The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has denied reports suggesting that it defended the Federal Government’s alleged $9 million lobbying contract in the United States, describing such claims as misleading and taken out of context.
Speaking at the 1st Nigeria Reputation Summit held at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, on Tuesday, the President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku clarified that the Institute neither defended nor endorsed the purported lobbying deal, stressing that no details were available to back the deal.
Reacting specifically to a January 16, 2026 Punch Newspaper headline titled “NIPR defends FG $9m US lobbying deal”, Dr. Neliaku said the report misrepresented his position.
“I could not have defended a deal I do not have details of,” he stated.
He added, “I do not know the full scope of the contract, the competence, credibility and track record of the vendors, the appropriateness of the pricing, or the key performance indicators attached to it. Without these, it is impossible to defend such an arrangement.”
He explained that his earlier comments during the unveiling of the Nigeria Reputation Perception Index (NRPI) 2025 Report were limited to a professional clarification that lobbying, as a practice, is a recognised public relations function globally and does not constitute a crime.
“Lobbying is a legitimate professional engagement tool used worldwide to influence goodwill and achieve defined outcomes. However, on the specific issue of defending a so-called $9 million deal,Baabu!”, he stated.
Dr. Neliaku further disclosed that there are legitimate concerns surrounding the contract, particularly regarding the process of engagement, vendor competence, and the methodology adopted, noting that these are issues that require transparency and proper scrutiny.
Speaking on the need for an improved national reputation, the NIPR President highlighted the recently released NRPI 2025 Report, which placed Nigeria’s overall reputation score at 35.2 out of 100, categorised as “Poor,” describing the country’s reputation paradox as one of “High Potential, Low Trust.”
He emphasised that the index was not designed to shame Nigeria but to provide a factual, evidence-based baseline for rebuilding national reputation.
He called for coordinated national reputation strategy involving government, the private sector, civil society, the media and citizens, urging that the Nigeria Reputation Summit should mark the beginning of a sustained movement rather than just another conference.
